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NYAWA
Securing livelihoods the circular way

Nyawa, which means ‘life’ in Malay, seeks to build a community-based livelihood generation program using locally available agricultural waste. Founded by graduates from the National University of Singapore as a part of the NUS resilience and growth innovation challenge, Nyawa is an innovation platform in the use of alternative materials and zero-waste production. The initiative aims to create products that are good for the environment while empowering rural communities. Nyawa’s goal is to be a model for holistic sustainability, ensuring a positive impact on the livelihoods of farmers and the environment with ethical sourcing, frugal technology, and optimized supply chains.

What are we trying to solve?

Growing need for Sustainable Materials

Since the 1950s, more than 9.9 billion tons of plastic have been produced worldwide. Unfortunately, less than 9 percent has been recycled.

The remaining 89 percent sits in our oceans, landfills, and streets.

78 million tons of packaging waste is produced every year. When analyzed alongside total waste, the packaging is responsible for half of the global waste annually.

The Zero Waste movement continues to advocate for packaging that is reusable, biodegradable, and recyclable.

Loss of Livelihoods

Reports suggest that the livelihoods of over 1.6 billion informal workers have been affected by COVID-19, increasing global relative poverty by 34%.

In South-East Asia, where agriculture accounts for approximately 39% of the total employment, more than 235 million farmers have been pushed to the brink of poverty. This is primarily due to single source income through low value, direct trade of agricultural produce.

The need of the hour is a resilient distributed livelihood system replacing the traditional methods.

Nyawa attempts to address these issues keeping sustainability at the core of all solutions.

Bio-degradable packaging crafted from agro-waste by marginalized communities across Kampongs of South-East Asia.

Creating a simple production model consisting of technical specifications, implementation guidelines, product possibilities, potential technologies, and impact assessment tools.

Using frugal technology for extracting higher value from agricultural by-products and waste

Creating multi-faceted revenue streams for farmers and communities by optimizing the use of existing resources.

Global outreach and marketing strategies for consistent and sustainable growth

Our Solution

Community development and Environmental care form the backbone for Nyawa.

Through our inclusive business model, we not only help tackle agricultural waste management issues but also aim to provide meaningful growth opportunities for rural communities across SEA.

Community

We aim to set up all-inclusive manufacturing units which allow us to provide livelihood opportunities for all members within a community. Farmers gain additional income by trading their otherwise discarded agri-waste.

Environment

Our products will help Singapore in fulfilling its vision of reducing packaging waste under the Singapore Packaging Agreement (Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources) and help retail brands respond to consumer environmental concerns.

Catering to the conscious consumer

Reducing plastic and optimizing agricultural waste management

Empowering communities through employment,training and market outreach

Additional income for plantation owners and farmers

Bio-degradable boxes with post consumption use.

Our Impact

Social Impact
Better livelihoods for the community by providing consistent higher income, skill training, improved quality of life, and resilience from external shocks like a pandemic
Improved HDI indicators for the rural community.

Environmental Impact
Development of biodegradable alternate materials and products.
Reduction in pollution and plastic waste
Initiation of a circular economy for the Kampong’s agro-waste materials